Rail safety clamp



Jan. 28, 1930. w, HUGHES 1,744,966

RAIL SAFETY CLAMP Filed Jan. 16, 1929 1 LI 7 A/// M/ r grwemto'c Elam neqd Patented Jan. 28, 1 930 UNITE STATES WILLIAM G. HUGHES, OF DOWNEY, CALIFORNIA RAIL SAFETY CLAMP,

Application filed January 16, 1929. Serial No 332,914.

This invention relates torail safety clamps of the type employed for connecting rails to the ties and to one another. I

An object of the invention is to provide a superior clamp that, when used at the joints between rails, will permit of elongation and shortening of the rails and, at the same time, will securely connect said rails to one another and to the ties that extend beneath the joints.

Other important objects are to prevent spreading of the rails and tipping thereof.

Another object is to provide a construction that will insure against loosening the spikes whereby the clamps are secured to the ties.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the subjoined detailed description.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention.

Figure l is a plan view of a section of railroad in which the invention is embodied.

Figure 2 is an enlarged viewfrom the line indicated by 22, Figure 1, one of the ties being in section on said line.

Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical section on the line indicated by 3-3, Figure 2.

Referring to the drawings, the rails are in dioated at 6 and the ties at 7. Clamps, embodying the invention, are indicated, in general, by the character 8, in this instance two of said clamps being shown, one at each end of one of the ties 7. One of the clamps is shown at the joint between two rails and the other clamp is shown midway of a rail. clamps are of identical construction, only one of them will be described in detail, as follows:

There is provided a knee brace 9 which comprises a base plate 11. The knee brace 9 also comprises an upright flange12 and a horizontal flange 13, the horizontal flange resting on the base plate 11 and the upright flange 12 being disposed against one face of the rail 6 beneath the headofsaid rail. The flange 13 may be of integral construction with the base plate 11 or permanently connected thereto in any other suitable manner, as by welding or the rivets 10. j

The knee brace 9 is provided at the lower end of the flange 12 with a recess 14 that sub- Since the stantially fits'the flange 15 of the rail. Thus the knee brace projects over the flange 15 and virtually rests upon said flange. The plate 11 is secured by spikes 16 to the tie, said spikes iwhen they are elongated and contracted by increase and decrease of their temperatures. Positioned against that face of the rail, or rails,'opposite the face engaged by the flange 12, are flanged locking members 22,

the flanges 23 whereof extend over the flange 15 of the rail, the under faces of the flanges 23 being shaped to substantially fit the rail flange 15. The locking members 22are propassing through holes 17 in said plate. The

vided with holes 24 through which the bolts 20'extend and, preferably, washers 25 are provided onthe bolts 20 beneath the nuts to insure against loosening of said nuts. Preferably, the bolts 20 are provided with cotter keys 261 or their equivalent nut-locking means, as'the nuts 26 will not be clinched up perfectly tight in order to permit the rails to move "lengthwise relative to the knee brace and locking member.

the upper face ofthe base plate 11 and, thus, is interposed between the flange 13 and looking member 22, on the one hand, and the base plate on the other hand.

The flange 15 of the rail, or rails, rests upon To usethe invention',the clamps will be applied at the rail joints and, if desired, they may also be applied intermediate of the ends of the rails. Oncurves, it is preferable to secure the rails to each tie by use of the clamps in order to insure against the rails being tipped by the train passing thereover. Tipping ofthe rails is'objectionable since it loosens the spikes andthus makes possible such spreading and/ or tipping of the rails as would result in derailment of the train en- Referring to Figure 3, particularly, it will be seen that the knee brace 9 prevents tipping of the rail to the right, since the upper portion of the rail lies against the knee brace and the flange of the rail is also engaged by the knee brace. The locking members 22 further insure against tipping of the rail since they are bolted through the rail to the knee brace and bear upon the upper face of 10 the rail flange, as does the knee brace. The entire construction is such that, in effect, the flange 13 of the knee brace is an extension of the rail flange 15 on that side of the rail toward which the pressure of the train on the 15 rail tends to tip the same and, also, the knee brace, in effect, extends beneath the rail and thus the weight of the train functions to hold the knee brace against movement.

A very important advantage of the invenzo tion is that its use insures against what is known in railroading as a lip rail at the joints. Such lip rail is produced by the canting of one rail outwardly by the wheels of a locomotive thereon while the rail im- 5 mediately in front of the canted rail remains perpendicular, thus causing the head of the ront rail to protrude inwardly past the head of the canted rail.

I claim:

1. The combination with two aligned rails, of a base plate underlying the rails at their adjoining ends, an upright flange connected with the base plate and engaging one face of each rail, separate locking members for the respective rails, each of said locking members engaging the rail face that is opposite to the. first mentioned face and each of said locking members engaging a flange of its associated rail and means independently con- 0 necting each of the locking members to the upright flange and permitting a limited amount of endwise movement of the rails between the upright flange and the locking members.

2. The combination with two aligned rails, of a tie extending beneath the joint between said rails, a base plate underlying the rails at the joint and secured to the tie, an upright flange connected with the base plate and en- 60 gaging one face of each rail, separate locking members for the rails respectively, each of said locking members engaging the rail face that is opposite to the first mentioned face and each of said locking members engaging a flange of its associated rail, and

' means independently connecting each of the locking members to the upright flange and permitting a limited amount of endwise movement of the rails between the upright flange and the locking members.

Signed at Los Angeles, Calif, this 10th dav of January, 1929.

WILLIAM G. HUGHES. 

